Buddy Holly comes alive at Walnut Street

PHILADELPHIA -- Walnut Street Theatre concludes its landmark 203rd season with an all-new production of Broadway's sensational "Buddy -- The Buddy Holly Story."

Directed and choreographed by Casey Hushion, the rock 'n' roll explosion opens on Wednesday and runs through July 15 on the Walnut Street Theatre Mainstage.

"Buddy -- The Buddy Holly Story" has been seen by more than 20 million people across the globe, and now Philadelphia audiences can relive the magic of his music. Buddy Holly was a brilliant musician who changed the face of popular music and paved the way for the next generation of rock 'n' rollers.

"Buddy" follows this superstar's meteoric rise to fame, from his humble country music roots to the top of the record charts and his untimely death in 1959. Audiences will experience his rousing '50s favorites, including "Peggy Sue," "Oh Boy," "Maybe Baby," "That'll Be the Day," "Raining In My Heart," Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba" and the Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace."

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Written by Alan Janes, with music by "Buddy -- The Buddy Holly Story" premiered at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London's West End on Oct. 12, 1989 and ran in London for 12 years. The Broadway production opened on Nov. 4, 1990 at the Shubert Theatre. The show has toured world-wide, including performances in South Africa, Norway, Japan and Iceland.

The cast includes Christopher Sutton as the one and only Buddy Holly. Walnut audiences will remember Sutton from Blood Brothers and Finian's Rainbow, while the larger U.S. audience will remember him from the National Tour of "Spamalot."

Sutton is joined by Lyn Philistine (Gypsy with Bernadette Peters and Cinderella with Eartha Kitt), making her Walnut debut as Buddy's love interest, Maria Elena. Philadelphia favorites Scott Greer (Les Misérables, Of Mice and Men) and Anthony Lawton (Amadeus, Of Mice and Men) play the big Bopper and Hipockets Duncan, respectively. Angela C. Howell (Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story) is Vi Petty, a role she played in the National Tour, and Miguel Jarquin-Moreland (National Tour of RENT) is Ritchie Valens.

For tickets and information, call 215-574-3550 or 800-982-2787. Tickets are also available online 24/7 by visiting www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org or Ticketmaster.